AFP Radio

 SDS Aurelio Gonzales Jr.

Senior House leader sees VP Duterte’s trust, approval ratings falling further, says she’s biggest survey loser

Vice President Sara Duterte’s performance, trust and approval ratings will continue to plummet as she evades questions about the alleged misuse and abuse of funds during her stint as education secretary and her own Office of the Vice President (OVP).

This was the fearless forecast of Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio "Dong" Gonzales Jr. as VP Duterte’s trust rating fell by 22 percentage points from March 2023, when she registered a high trust rating of 83 percent, to 61 percent in September 2024, according to the latest Pulse Asia Survey.

Gonzales said this is because of VP Duterte’s alleged refusal to exercise accountability befitting her office, asserting that this is a key factor contributing to the significant drop in her approval and trust ratings in recent surveys.

“Hindi natin ikinakagulat ang patuloy na pagbaba ng ratings ni VP Duterte, lalo na’t hindi siya nagbibigay ng paliwanag ukol sa paggamit ng pondo ng OVP at DepEd. Pera ng bayan ang pinag-uusapan dito, kaya’t obligasyon niyang ipaliwanag ang mga kinukuwestiyong hindi tamang paggugol ng pondo,” he said.

Recent Pulse Asia surveys indicated Duterte was the biggest survey loser after a steep decline in her approval and trust ratings. Her approval mark fell by nine percentage points from 69 percent in June to 60 percent in September, while her trust level dropped by 10 percentage points from 71 percent to 61 percent over the same period.

"People expect public officials to be transparent in the use of government funds. Kaya hindi nakapagtataka na bumabagsak ang kanyang ratings dahil sa kanyang patuloy na pag-iwas sa mga tanong tungkol sa pondong ito," Gonzales said.

“At sa pakiwari ko, bababa pa ito. Galit ang tao sa hindi tamang paggasta ng pampublikong pondo, lalong-lalo na’t hindi siya humaharap sa pagdinig ng Kongreso para ipaliwanag ang mga nakitang irregularidad,” he said. 

Findings from the Commission on Audit (COA) revealed troubling discrepancies in the handling of CIF under Duterte's leadership. In the fourth quarter of 2022, COA disallowed P73 million out of the P125 million CIF allocated to the OVP. 

Moreover, for the first three quarters of 2023, COA flagged at least P164 million out of the P375 million in CIF disbursed by Duterte’s office.

“Hindi lamang isang beses ang nakita nating paglabag, kundi tila paulit-ulit na pattern ng posibleng pang-aabuso sa paggamit ng confidential funds. Ang P73 million na hindi pinahintulutan noong 2022 ay naulit ulit sa 2023,” said Gonzales, pointing to what he described as a consistent alleged misuse of government funds.

He also criticized Duterte’s handling of DepEd’s budget during her tenure as education secretary, particularly issues concerning school-based feeding programs and procurement of computers. 

COA has flagged the delivery of spoiled milk and nutribuns to public schools and unacceptable delays in the procurement of essential school equipment, further raising concerns about her administration’s efficiency and transparency.

“Ang mga kabataan at estudyante ang direktang naapektuhan ng mga aberya sa DepEd, lalo na’t mga maselang proyekto tulad ng feeding program at school supplies ang pinag-uusapan dito. Hindi maaaring balewalain ang mga isyung ito dahil may mga buhay at kinabukasan ang nakataya,” Gonzales said.

He further emphasized that the issue is not just about the alleged mishandling of funds but also about Duterte’s overall refusal to be held accountable, which, in his view, continues to damage her public image.

“Kailangan nating ipakita na walang sinuman ang nakatataas sa batas. Kailangang humarap siya at sagutin ang mga tanong ng publiko, lalo na’t ito ay may kinalaman sa pondo ng bayan,” he concluded. (End)